Key Challenge
Familiarity breeds contempt. As home to Fort Hood, the world’s largest military installation, Killeen, TX has a built-in brand. But when the community embarked on a branding campaign, some stakeholders felt it was time to part ways with the military image and showcase some of the city’s other attributes. Does updating your image really necessitate starting over?

Critical Insight
For communities with an established identity, branding is less about identifying what differentiates them and more about finding new ways to connect with the existing brand. Research found that Killeen, TX has a lot of positive equity from being known as a military town. And that equity is based on more than economics or proximity. It represents an emotional connection. It is personal. It is all about strength, patriotism, diversity, support for military families and pride. And those qualities are present even in the aspects of Killeen that are not associated with the military.

Brand Strategy
North Star recommended a brand that showcases how the strong character of the American soldier permeates the community so that everyone -- man, woman, child, employee, business owner, teacher and politician – exemplifies the face of freedom and feels a personal pride in their city’s role in achieving it.

Initial Concepts

Brand Action

Bringing a two-dimensional brand to life in a three-dimensional community takes a strong brand action plan. Following are a sampling of action ideas from the hundreds developed specifically for Killeen. All were designed to help them wear their brand like a second skin.

• Send prospects a package- Send top economic development prospects recruitment materials packaged with a stopwatch and the tank ad with the headline, “If him and his buddies can put together a tank in less than two hours, imagine what he can do for you.”
  
  
• Create a walk of pride- Just like the walk of stars on Hollywood Boulevard, celebrate the real heroes of Killeen on a downtown sidewalk. (This will also help attract those stationed at Fort Hood into the downtown area.) Give stars for soldiers who received special honors or were involved in historic events to show that not only is pride more personal here, it’s built into the very structure of the City.
  
  
• Celebrate Fort Hood family trees - Create a public art project downtown that showcases the different logos of the military and shows the “family trees” of the various Fort Hood infantry divisions.
  
  
• Develop brand merchandise - The Killeen brand opens up the door for some unique and relevant premium items including:

• A series of t-shirts that show the face of freedom in Killeen. For example, a mosaic of the Killeen “K” could be on the front of the shirt comprised of thousands of small pictures of Ft. Hood soldiers and Killen residents (teachers, firemen, coaches, business people, moms, dads, etc.).  This series can be printed on other items such as postcards, coasters and napkins.
• Personal items that residents and Ft. Hood soldiers can proudly display such as bumper stickers, window decals, t-shirts, hats, and coffee cups that say “I am the face of freedom” or “My pride is personal.”

  
  
  
• Recognize Killeen winners- Create an initiative that rewards Killeen individuals and organizations for behavior that exemplifies the proud character of the brand.  The “Killeen PROUD” recognition program can be applied to every school, business, organization and event in the community. It represents the high standards of strength, loyalty, perseverance, teamwork and performance that have defined Killeen historically and currently.